Singapore’s Best Nighttime Sightseeing: Clarke Quay and the River Walk

There are a lot of cool areas to visit in Singapore for nightlife, most notably Haji Lane, Orchard Road, Chinatown, and Clarke Quay. Aside from trying a Singapore Sling, one must-do activity for every Singapore tourist is a night on the river. Singapore’s River Walk is very popular, as every bridge along the Singapore River has a different style. There are upwards of twenty in the small 3-km stretch of the river that is the Singapore River. Some are as new as 2015, while the oldest was built in the 1840s. Some of them were very cool in the daytime, and others shine - literally - at night. For this reason, it’s a good idea to do it twice, if you can. My favorite bridge was this wacky, colorful one called the Alkaff Bridge.

One great walk, not too long, is from Clarke Quay to the waterfront. Clarke Quay is a really fun, bustling spot, with tons of restaurants and bars. I really liked the setup with the tents above the streets, so you can hang out outside even if a shower is passing through. It’s always 80-90 degrees in Singapore, so a rainstorm is really the only reason you’d be looking for refuge.

That, and the heat, of course. Singapore was pretty toasty in the middle of the day, so much so that people tend to be up early for hikes or outdoor activities and then get inside before the sun gets too strong. This is why there are so many indoor shopping malls, why the subway entrances are packed with shops and restaurants, and why overhead tents like this are super common. The shade and or air conditioning are really necessary in this tropical climate. 

Nice places to walk in Singapore at night

1/ Clarke Quay at night

Clarke Quay is a popular spot for happy hour, and it’s a nice spot to get a bite to eat. There are some good restaurants, although the closest gelato is across the river and down one block. Just a short trip to get some delicious and refreshing gelato!

2/ Singapore River Walk at night

Walk from here to the waterfront, and you’ll pass some cool bridges along the way. Some of them are lit up at night, as you can see in the photo below. Others are not, and their designs will be hard to see in the dark, as you can imagine with, say, the first photo above. For this reason, I do recommend visiting the area twice so that you can make sure to see all the bridges in their glory, whatever time of day that might happen to be.

Another cool way to see this area is with a boat tour. They leave right at Clarke Quay, and they seemed like quite the party. I did not do one, but they looked like a lot of fun. 

3/ Singapore Waterfront at night

When you get to the waterfront, you’ll get an amazing view of the iconic Sands Marina Bay Hotel at night. It looked really cool all lit up, and I would definitely consider it a must-see. That said, you will also obviously want to see the boat hotel during the day, and there are a lot of great places to do that.